Can We Keep Her?
by CBGirl
Summary: Fluffy Jolex oneshot. Alex and Jo adopt a dog.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any characters.

**Author's note:** I saw the sides for an upcoming episode of Grey's and a couple was arguing about adopting a pet and it gave me an idea to write about Alex and Jo getting a dog. It didn't turn out as good as I had hoped and it is really choppy but I hope you enjoy some fluff anyway.

**Can We Keep Her?**

Jo dropped her lunch tray down on the table across from Alex and flopped in the chair. "We should get a dog!" she announced immediately with no greeting or anything.

"What?!" Alex narrowed his eyes at Jo confused. "No we shouldn't. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"I had this patient down in the ER, he was showing me pictures of his new puppy, and it was so cute. We should get one," Jo explained.

"We can barely feed and take care of ourselves, how are we supposed to take care of a dog?" Alex questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Oh please, that is not true and you know it," Jo huffed back rolling her eyes. They both ignored the chuckles coming from the others at the table.

"So you saw a picture of a dog and just like that we should get one?" Alex clarified.

"Yes."

"Well maybe if I show you a picture of a new ninety inch flat screen TV we'll have to get that too," he challenged.

"Ugh… you are impossible," Jo groaned just as her pager went off. She checked the page, pushed her lunch towards Alex, jumped up from the table giving him a quick peck on the cheek and stole the apple he was about to bite into out of his hand, jogging off to answer her page.

Jackson laughed from down the table, "Dude, you are so getting a dog."

"Shut up," Alex snapped back.

Later that night, Alex and Jo were chilling on the couch watching something stupid on TV. Suddenly Jo sat up and turned to face Alex tucking her legs under her. "I never had a pet growing up. I mean, a couple of the foster families I was with had dogs and one had a cat," she shuddered at this, "but they weren't _mine_. One of the dogs didn't even like me. And I always thought how great it would be to have _my own _dog, you know, man's best friend, loyal, all that stuff," Jo finished looking to Alex, giving him her big puppy dog eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Alex shook his head with a small smile.

"No look," she said innocently.

"Fine, if you want one so bad we can get a dog," he gave in. Alex felt bad about the childhood Jo had had to endure and wanted to give her all the things she had missed out on.

Jo squealed and threw herself into Alex's lap wrapping her arms around his neck. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her too. "I'm not cleaning it up when he craps all over the house though."

"Shut up!"

The next day Alex and Jo went to the local animal shelter to pick out the perfect dog for them. Jo walked up and down the rows of cages looking at and talking to all the dogs. She came to a cage that had the cutest dachshund in it and she was drawn to this dog. The dog also appeared to be drawn to her. She went right to Jo and started licking her fingers. Jo giggled, "This is it. It's her!" she cheerfully exclaimed.

"Really, a wienie dog? I was thinking something bigger, something cooler," Alex replied.

"No, it's her. She is so cute and look she already loves me," Jo pouted as the dog continued to nuzzle her hand.

"Fine, whatever you want," Alex rolled his eyes figuring there was no point arguing with her about this she would see to it that she got her way.

"Or, we could get both," Jo suggested with a twinkle in her eyes.

"No!" Alex shot back firmly, making Jo laugh.

They filled out the paperwork to adopt the dog and found out that she had been named Sassy by her previous owner. They got back into the car and Jo leaned over to kiss Alex on the cheek, "thank you," she said softly holding the dog in her lap.

"You're welcome," he answered capturing her lips with his before she could pull away. Suddenly Sassy started growling and yapping looking right at Alex. Jo busted out laughing.

"She's protective of me," she announced stroking the dog's head.

"Oh no, that's not going to work," Alex grumbled, "and _Sassy_, really, I'm supposed to call her that?"

"Yes, we can't change her name now, it would confuse her."

"Whatever, somehow it seems like it is going to be fitting anyway," Alex appeased glancing sideways at the dog as he pulled away from the shelter. "There's just one problem… how will you know if I'm talking about the dog or if I'm talking about you?"

"Haha, Jerk," Jo smacked him on the shoulder.

They drove on, Alex watching the road and Jo playing with her new dog until she spotted a pet store. "Ooh, pull in there. I have a list of things we need," Jo pointed. Alex grumbled but did as she asked.

"You can't leave the dog in here. What if she craps or tears everything up," Alex commanded.

"I'm not. She is coming in with us, duh," Jo shook her head. They walked into the store and Jo pulled her list out, "No comments. Just push the cart."

"Yes ma'am," Alex responded dutifully, causing Jo to once again roll her eyes.

An hour and one leash, two dog bowls, a bag of dog food, a dog bed, a collar, and a leash later they were finally headed home. They set up the bed and food and water bowls in the laundry room and let Sassy explore her new home. Jo and Alex were both pleasantly surprised to learn that the dog had already been housebroken. They spent the evening hanging out on the couch with Sassy happily curled up in Jo's lap relishing the attention from her new owner.

When Jo went back to work the next day, the little boy she had taken care of in the ER, who had put this whole dog idea in her head, was being discharged. She caught up to him on the way out of the hospital and showed him pictures of her new dog. He smiled up at her excited that she too had a new pet and that because of him she was so happy.

Jo also showed off pictures to her co-workers like a proud mother. They all commented on how cute Sassy was, teased about her name, and chuckled at how proud Jo seemed to be. At lunch Jackson couldn't help himself, "I told you you were getting a dog," he laughed to Alex, "not only did you get a dog, but you got a sissy dog."

"Shut up. It's Jo's dog," Alex glared back.

A few weeks later and they had settled in to life with a dog. Sassy would spend the days out in the fenced-in backyard while Jo and Alex were at work. Then when they got home she came in the house with them. Alex would even let her in when he got home first. Most evenings when she was home Jo would take Sassy for a walk around the neighborhood. They all got along very well except on the occasions when Sassy would try to sleep in between Alex and Jo or when she barked and growled for Jo's attention when they were kissing, making out, or being intimate. In those cases Alex would put the dog out in the backyard or close her in the laundry room.

One morning Jo got up and caught Alex feeding Sassy bacon. "Stop feeding her off your plate," she demanded, "look at her she's getting fat. It's not healthy." Jo had been noticing lately that Sassy was getting heavier. She was sure she was getting enough exercise with her almost nightly walks and the time spent playing in the backyard.

"Sorry, but she likes it. We are bonding," Alex explained, scratching the dog's ears.

"She has been acting kind of strange the last couple of days too. Human food isn't good for her. You're making her sick," Jo continued getting her own breakfast.

It wasn't until the next morning that Jo learned Sassy wasn't sick at all she had been pregnant. She went downstairs to find Sassy in her bed in the laundry room with three brand new puppies with her. "Oh my gosh," she gasped, "Alex is going to be pissed," she chuckled.

When he came down for breakfast Jo tried to keep him from the laundry room until she could figure out how to tell him about the puppies. "Don't go in there. I'll get you whatever you need," Jo jumped up from the table to beat him in there as Alex was about to go grab some clothes. He gave her a funny look and continued to the dryer. _Real cool, Jo, like that didn't give something away,_ she thought to herself.

"What the hell?" Alex exclaimed coming upon Sassy with her puppies. Jo cringed. "She was pregnant? How could they give us a pregnant dog and not even warn us?"

"Well, the shelter probably didn't know either," Jo soothed finding his reaction quite comical. She was also pretty proud of the fact that she had predicted this was exactly how he would react.

"What are you smiling about?" Alex grumped seeing Jo's face. "We are NOT keeping these puppies. And I am not cleaning up that mess either."

Jo laughed out loud at that and wrapped her arms around Alex, hugging him warmly and kissing his lips. He relaxed, returning her hug and kisses. "Seriously though, what are we going to do with the puppies?" he asked as they sat down to eat their cereal.

"Well, I've been thinking about that, and I have the perfect plan," Jo responded confidently.

"Care to share?" Alex asked with raised eyebrows.

"When they are weaned, we take them to the daycare at the hospital to show them off to the kids and the kids _of course_ fall in love with them and beg their parents to keep them until their parents can't say no. We go home empty handed," Jo explained with a smirk.

"I like how you think," Alex complimented nodding his head with his own smirk playing across his lips.

That is just what they did. When the puppies were old enough, they brought them to daycare for "show-and-tell". All the kids were delighted and loved the puppies and did beg their parents to keep one. Bailey Shepherd didn't think it was fair that Zola got to pick theirs so the Shepherds ended up with two. And April, being the animal lover she is, wanted to see the puppies, so she followed Jo to the daycare and ended up talking Jackson into keeping the other one.

"Now we both have sissy dogs," Alex laughed at Jackson who just nodded and rolled his eyes.

"Oh Sissy, that's the perfect name," April cooed holding the puppy up to her face and nuzzling it.

As they were all leaving work that night, Alex and Jo were indeed empty handed. Meredith looked between Alex and Jo and Jackson and April and sighed, "What happened here?" Alex and Jo just bid their goodnights and headed to the car laughing quietly together.


End file.
